Dale Earnhardt Jr. was one of those drivers. But on Monday, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver voiced his support for those who protested peacefully by quoting former President John F. Kennedy.

Glad to see him gone....

Team co-owner Richard Petty took a hard line when asked by the Associated Press how he would handle the situation if one of his employees protested during the National Anthem. Petty, when prompted, said they ought to be fired.

“Anybody that don’t stand up for the anthem ought to be out of the country,” Petty told the AP. “Period. What got ’em where they’re at? The United States.”

Richard Childress voiced similar sentiments, telling NBC Sports, "“Get you a ride on a Greyhound bus when the national anthem is over. Anybody that works for me should respect the country we live in. So many people gave their lives for it. This is America."

RPM majority owner Andy Murstein took a gentler approach to the situation.

“I figured it would be some of the old guard who made those comments,” Murstein said. “They are all proud Americans who have lived through World Wars and turbulent times. While I respect their thought, and personally I think it’s the wrong thing to kneel, I wouldn’t fire someone for expressing their feelings. I would sit down with them and say it’s the wrong thing to do and many people including myself, view it as an affront to our great country.

“If there is disenchantment towards the President or a few bad law enforcement officers, don’t have that cross over to all that is still good and right about our country. The flag isn’t the flag of a few people, it stands for America.”